India to play big role in increasingly diverse, multi-polar world, says ex-Canadian PM

Former Canadian PM Stephen Harper on Tuesday said that India will play a big role to play in future in the increasingly diverse and multi-polar world with not just its energetic domestic reforms but also as a country that is self-defined and aspires be a cooperative global partner while at the same time will be very much Indian.

"The reality of the increasingly diverse and multi-polar world would be that there is not a simple answer to that but a big part of the answer in future will be a role played by India," the leader said in his address at the inaugural session here of the Raisina Dialogue 2020.

Addressing a session 'Who's going to underwrite security, stability and growth of Indo-Pacific region,' at India's flagship global conference Harper said: "If I can pay tribute to PM Modi here, I think it will be a kind of India that PM Modi's vision is creating. Not just energetic domestic reforms but very much a country that is self-defined aspires to be a cooperative global partner but will be very much Indian."

The visiting dignitary also stated that India is "not going to be a bastion of western liberalism in the future."

"It is a democracy. It is not going to be just another non-aligned post-colonial state. India has its own identity and I think under the extent of the current government that identity is coming to the fore with big power and global aspirations," he further stressed.

Meanwhile, expressing sorrow over the loss of Canadian lives in the recent plane downing in Iran, the former prime minister said, "In Canada, we just suffered a tremendous loss of life as a consequence of the Iranian action the Ukranian airlines flight and it is a subject of great sorrow and great anger at the same time."

He noted that if there is some way through the protests in Iran or the consequences of the recent developments that would lead the Islamic nation on a better trajectory then it would be the very core to resolving the problems in the Middle East.

Harper added that without a change in the nature of the government of Tehran, the Middle East will continue to be in turmoil.